The present invention relates to a wave motion simulator which is designed to impart forces to a surface effect ship so that the habitability limits of that ship can be determined without having to place the ship in the water to make similar tests.
The latest generation of naval ships promises to be of the surface effect type. Those ships are capable of exceptionally high speed in the vicinity of 80 to 90 knots, and in general will operate on an air bubble between themselves and the surface of the water. Ships of that type are presently in the developmental stage but in the near future promise to become a significant part of the naval fleets of the United States. It is also considered that the ships have a future in commercial uses both as cargo carriers and as cruise ships.
Due to the high speed of these ships, excessive and sometimes damaging wave shocks are encountered and at the present many different schemes have been presented and are being studied which would attenuate the force of the waves on the ships. Since these ships will travel at or in excess of 80 knots, the forces that they will encounter are so excessive that a tremendous amount of developmental work remains to be accomplished. The present invention permits ships of various designs to be tested for habitability and performance characteristics without the expense and bother of having the ship placed in the water. In the first place, a ship must be completely prepared before it can be tested in the water, and secondly, a ship that can be tested on land need not be completed in all respects to get meaningful data regarding the reaction to wave shock. The instant invention permits surface effect ships to be tested in various phases of design so that problems or weaknesses may be corrected before proceeding with the next production aspect of the vessel. Utilization of the instant invention will at least make the developmental stage of the prototypes less expensive since the cost of transporting and immersing the vessel is not inconsiderable.